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Hi everyone, We are trying to install K's new car seat. We are going to keep it rear facing for now. We are having a problem getting it tightened so it doesn't move. I do not have latches in my car, so we use the lap belt, which is a combo lap and shoulder belt. The problem is, it can still tilt to the side which the buckle is on. We put our weight down on the seat to tighten it, and it will, then later the strap seems to relax and it can pull again. So, when I remove K from the seat, it will tilt, as I scoot her across. We had a bit of the same problem with the infant carrier seat, but the locking clip fit better on it, where as it is very difficult to place the clip on this one. Also, for the locking clip, the directions in both say to clip it 1/2 inch from the buckle. This did not do anything for the seat when we tried it, and on the infant seat we clipped it on the opposite side, and it was fine. Too hard to do that on this seat. The clip is now in the middle below the seat. It is not as loose, but will still tilt some. We have been working on this for over an hour. Anyone else NOT have latches that has encountered this? Thanks for any help,Michelle
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First, if you are using a locking clip, it needs to be 1/2 inch from the buckle. That is where it needs to be used - if you really need to be using one. A locking clip is not designed to hold in a crash situation. It only provides friction against slow loosening, so the positioning of it is important.
Do the seatbelts in your car lock? Meaning, when you pull them all the way out and then let them back in a little, do they lock? Most cars do these days, but not all. If so, pull the belt all the way out and feed it through the seat belt path and buckle it. While putting as much pressure on the seat as you can (two people working together in this situation might help) pull the bottom - lap - portion of the belt, tightening it as much as possible while feeding the extra up through the shoulder portion of the belt into the retractor. Do this until you have it tight. The seat should not move more than one inch side to side when you pull on it where the belt goes through the belt path of the seat.
If you do not have seat belts that lock, or are still having problems, PM me or post here, and I will see what I can suggest. Or I can help you find a tech local to you who can help you get it installed.
Good luck!!
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My advice: Call your local fire station or state police post. Here in IN, they do car seat checks and installations. My sister lived in IL and went to the state police post before baby #1. They installed the car seat and even gave her these foam rolls that were needed to make the car seat level. If they don't do, they can probably direct you to someone who can. Good luck!
I had similar problems in my first car which did not have latch. I would recomend reading the manual for your car as they usually have a section on car seat installation. You may also need to try different seats. Although the middle seat is usually the safest, it is not the safest if the seat can not be installed correctly.
How we got the seat to work in our car was a combination of one person literally having to sit in the seat (which is challenging in a rear facing seat while the other one took care of the belt. It literally took ALL of my weight to get the seat in secure. Our seat also had a teather which I was able to attach to the back leg of the front seat.
If all else fails, you may need to go back to the store and tell them it doesn't work in your car. I know that babies r us will let you take models out to your car to try before you purchase.
Good luck!
Please be very careful with using the tether when a car seat is rear facing. There are only a couple seats on the market that allow the use of the tether when the car seat is in the rear facing postion. (Most Britax and possibly one or two others.) Don't assume that just because the seat has a tether, it can be used in any situation. Please, please read the manual.
(Not saying that you should or shouldn't have used the tether Sleepdeprived. Just general information as this is something I see misunderstood a lot.)
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Don't asume that people don't read manuals. I am actually smart enough to read both the car seat manual and the cars manual before I install a car seat. I own two different brands of car seats with tethers and both manuals said it was recommend to use the tether rear facing. The particular one I was refering to was a Britax...and it is pretty much impossible to install the up to 65 pound Britax rear facing without the tether. We used it in three different cars and in non of them could we get it snug and at a safe angle for a baby without the tether.
Oh, that's tricky, some latches really are hard to install. Why don't you down to your local fire stations or hospitals, they usually offer car seat check ups and they might be a big help.
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